The Demons of Whimsy
by Monkeybandit2
Summary: So he is reborn. For What purpose though? Merely a second chance perhaps? Or was there even a plot to begin with in regards to himself? Perhaps not... for now he would simply have to make do with the whims of the universe.


**I do not own either Code Geass (*cringes with regret*) or High School DxD (*cries tears of blood*). This story is for entertainment purposes only! Get with the program already!**

_The lone shaft of light penetrated the darkness of the room from the window. It did little to truly illuminate it however, instead the beam starkly contrast itself from its obsidian surroundings that even an adjusted eye had trouble peering into. It was enough though. To any visitor who positioned themselves just right they would see a slim figure opaque form partially outlined by the light slowly twisting a slim object within the open grasp of his thumb and his index finger. Though it was hard to say what this person was doing, inspecting it, toying with it, thinking, if one looked carefully enough they could see tiny specks of light flit through the gaps between this unidentified object and his finger. Finally, as if deciding or else tiring of the action, he removed his finger from the top of the item to reveal the outline of a crown before the chess piece was set down in the darkness before the figure. It was barely a second latter that it gently but resoundingly clacked against an unseen chessboard in the dark before him. From there the figure leaned forward and placed his elbows upon his knees as he brought his steepled fingers to the front of his face._

The Demons of Whimsy

Prologue: New beginnings

Amethyst eyes blearily blinked at the equally blurred world presented to them as a confused mind tried to comprehend not only what had happened but to discern as to what it was that seemingly encircled him in a warm embrace. Did he somehow survive in spite of his machinations that was the Zero Requiem? It was hard to believe but it wouldn't have been the first time he had either overestimated or, worse yet, _underestimated_ any potential factor in his plans, all things considered. Or was he revived somehow despite having a sword professionally impaling his chest as part of his grand design? For the life of him he couldn't move, much less so much as groan, so there was credence to either scenario. Ideally though he honestly hoped it wasn't a revival; as intrigued as he was to Jeremiah's armored body Lelouch couldn't honestly say he fancied the idea of becoming a living wonder of the peaceful union of both flesh and metal, ironic though it was given his life was supposedly ended by the violent convergence of the two.

"Oh, are you awake?" a soft voice lovingly cooed. A familiar voice now that he thought about it... Disturbingly so. Regardless, this soft feminine voice wordlessly cooed again as if she were entertaining nothing more than a babe in her arms. He could've sworn he not only heard but felt some movement around him. Strange, the latter was. Even so it mildly amused him in the least as such a notion softly warmed his heart. As such he opened his lips to let loose a soft and good natured scoff only for a gurgle to escape his lips...

... from there a third potential scenario planted itself within his mind like an ominous disquieting obelisk: not only had he survived and potentially crippled but he was now, for all intents and purposes, some strange woman's plaything! Granted he had not much in the way of evidence at this point but for better or worse he was lucidly aware that panic and fear addled confusion was wreaking havoc on his ability to deduce what was going on! In fact it was too much! He had to get out of here and buy himself some time to regain his wits at the very least!

"Pardon me for being rude but I cannot really work with your child throwing a fuss like this!" a voice he mercifully didn't recognize spoke up from the side.

"Marianne, perhaps we should stop for the time being and try to coax Lelouch back to sleep," a _**VASTLY DISTINCT**_ voice he, even after finally eliminating, _**COULD NOT FORGET TILL THE END OF TIME AGAINST HIS WISHES**_ had spoken. Whether it was _**That Man's**_ intent or not it was enough to not only have Lelouch quail in unspoken horror but kick his mind into overdrive as to the identity of who had spoken beforehand! Marianne vi Britannia! _His mother! THE WOMAN WHO DIED NOT ONCE BUT TWICE BY HIS OWN HAND AT THE END!_ He knew not which was worse! Learning the man he utterly despised even after his supposedly final demise was once more alive and well, or learning the woman whom he once dearly cherished in his heart apart from his own sisters once again cheated death!

No! There was no debate as to which was worse! This situation! His circumstances! IT WAS TOO MUCH!

From pure instinctual need his lips parted to let loose an anguished wail lest he lose his mind completely with whatever this instance was. However instead of a cry of abject horror brought about by the implications of his circumstances a loud infantile wail was what had left from his lips.

"Oh Lelouch, honey, it's alright. Mommy's here."

XVX

Living Room, months later

It took some time, visual references audible evidence and quadruple checking each and every reflective surface he could lay eyes on but, for better or worse, he had to reluctantly accept his... outright strange answer to his equally bizarre situation.

He, somehow, someway, _for whatever reason_, had came back... as a baby. That is all he will say on the matter for the sake of his sanity should the issue ever come up. Should there be a merciful god it never will.

"Come on, I'll help you up you grumpy little thing."

Trying to maintain what dignity he could in the body of an infant certainly superseded any importance his idle ponderings had. Namely in this particular case trying to swallow his inadvertent pride over the fact that he had sluggish and limited control at best over his newfound body and thus needed assistance just to sit up after accidently flopping onto his back and squirming from there in a pitiful attempt to sit back up. For better or worse it was moments like these that not only reinforced the fact that he had indeed become an infant but also supplied other indubitable items of evidence to not only the odd conclusion that he has, for lack of a better word, been reincarnated but, to his reluctance to consider, born to a different world...

As he eyed the popcorn ceiling above him he couldn't help but be reminded that this house, a mansion actually, which he predominantly bore witness during the travels in the arms of his _mother_, and arguably worse yet _father_ at times, throughout this abode and certainly lacked the inherent standards often denoted to any imperial household inhabited by the royal family such as both absolutely immaculate and pristine walls, floors, etc, objet d'arts, servants virtually around every corner and so forth to quietly proclaim both wealth and power above all others. It wasn't dirty or like for that matter... it was just worn. The kind of worn one would expect from the older families whose literal houses bore generation after generation over the centuries, unseen but felt with nary a finger raised to dispel it with new wallpaper beyond necessity for example. Even the occasional painting and other decorative items like the occasional vase or bust looked to have been there for some time... not that it was surprisingly per se given the habits of those that fancied themselves as noble that he observed between his days before, during his exile, but it was noticeable nevertheless. Suffice it to say that there was a rather marked difference between the abode of a duke and one for a prince or princess of the emperor at _minimum _as far as quality was concerned.

Furthermore his family, while still influential from what he seen, were certainly not _royalty_. While on the face of it that may not seem much of a difference... A case and point as to how this made a significant difference was simply comparing his previous version of his sickeningly extended family to his current one whom he was evidently born to: as oppose to having none other than Cornelia and Schneizel has half siblings to him and each other...

"I swear you're getting heavier little brother," a ten year old Cornelia huffed in exhortation as she picked Lelouch up from his back and cradled him to her with an affectionate smile. It wasn't fazed in the slightest at the indignant scowl Lelouch bore in return; sadly much like his motor functions his ability to reign in his emotions, particularly his bruised ego, was still developing as far as his infantile body was concerned. From the side Schneizel, equally regressed as Cornelia was in terms of age, chuckled softly.

"There are times I could almost testify that our little brother understands more about his surroundings than most infants should." The coy smirk on his lips split into a gentleman's laugh when Lelouch's rebuke came in the form of a half hearted yet ineffectual throw of Mister Fuzzy... which they named as such! However he would admit to _no one_, _**ever**_, that it was ridiculously fun to flop and toss that stuffed emerald dachshund about... the joys of a second childhood Lelouch supposed.

... they were his _full_ siblings at any rate. Interestingly enough he had neither seen nor heard mention of Clovis to date. Nor of any of his either siblings such as Odysseus and Marrybell for that matter. Then again that could be chocked to the previously mentioned lack of royalty where having such a, to be polite, _ludicrously_ large family was just not feasible for anyone _other_ than the emperor himself. Honestly, one-hundred-and-eight offspring, period? But that was a non issue at any rate...

More to the point his family, this incarnation of which, was not only more relaxed with each other but... he could not remember a single instance where his _**father**_ the Emperor either cracked a smile in regards to his family or simply complimented them over something that wasn't in some way serving either him or the empire. Never mind taking the time to tuck him into bed and read him a bedtime story unlike his... _father_, the corporate executive of the Eden Vital Pharmaceutical company...

Moving on...

As he was hefted up and carried out of the parlor he also eyed a globe innocently resting on a nearby bookcase. Inadvertently it reminded him of yet another fact that quietly aided in his hypothesis that his situation, abnormal though it was to begin with, took a turn for the strange: the history. It took awhile but the adults around him were as talkative as ever when there was little need for concern, gossipy as ever. From his siblings it was either idle conversation regarding schoolwork or the occasional plans for an outing which he was naturally excluded from. His parents likewise the same albeit with work expectantly replacing school. The servants, who did this, who married that, this new movie coming out... Little by little he was piecing together this strange situation and in doing so his sources let slip the name of a country he had only heard of in passing during his own schooling days. One which never saw its proper birth: The United States of America.

The far flung dream of a distant rebellion in terms of both time and space respectively. Even so it eerily resembled much of his own insurrection if he remembered correctly, especially if he disassociated his personal feelings in the matter of his own similar quest: though not entirely accurate in regards to America given its contested state at the time as various nations laid claims to the newly discovered continent, both America and Japan had been subjugated by Britannia. Both rose up when the injustices of the empire became too much to bear. And, to his chagrin, both were ultimately crushed by the very empire they wished to cast out; both of which were gutted by the acts of traitors to the cause... While he couldn't attest as to what it was that drove Benjamin Franklin to do what he did, those that were composed as Zero's command staff were ultimately the same in their action even if those very actions ultimately stemmed from, ironically, a sense of betrayal on their part. Even so, though the Black Knights were not annihilated like Washington's forces, it was all the same in the end. They may as well have died that day the second Lelouch was forced to flee the second they chose to agree to the previous Schneizel's terms.

But enough of that... If word of mouth was to be believed and ideally corroborated by factual sources then it was without a doubt that his hypothesis was quite correct... that he was reborn and in a new world, one bearing at least some similarity to his previous one. It remains to be seen as to what significance this bears...

... with any luck this second life of his would be nothing like his previous one. Espionage, intrigue and deceptions aside, he honestly would rather not be stabbed in the chest again as part of a final gambit again. Or in general really but he'll take what he can get.

During his musings his mother happened upon the scene and beatifically smiled at the sight. With a soft giggle she quickly stepped over to the reincarnated former emperor and quickly took him from his sister's grasp. "Alright. Nap time!"

... he knew he should've kept Mister Fuzzy on his person. It was the closest thing to his only defense in this situation! Alas Schneizel had already picked it up, placed it on his lap and was idly petting it as if it were the real thing as he essentially ignored the situation at hand with a book in his other hand... the jerk.

With another giggle Marianne gently grasped one of his minute hands and waved it at his older siblings. "Say 'Bye-bye' Lelouch!" Schneizel was either ignoring it or genuinely too engrossed into his book to have noticed it. Either one was believable for Lelouch. Cornelia however tittered with a sweet smile on her lips as she waved back. Lelouch would've scoffed if he could. Instead he simply settled for indignant simmering on his part over this minor humiliation on his part.

"Bye-bye now!" Marianne cooed again as she slipped out of the room.

"_Kill me, please_," Lelouch grouched in his mind.

XVX

Meanwhile, Ajuka's Workshop...

"Ah, Ajuka, toying with your inventions once again?"

"Hm?" The satan looked up from the king piece he was carefully observing before donning a smile. "Yes, you could say that."

The red haired satan grinned at his green haired counterpart before peering over his shoulder to curiously gaze at the black chess piece in hand. "Modifications I presume?"

"An experiment," Ajuka corrected Sirzechs a-matter-a-factly.

"An experiment for what?" Sirzechs broached with a small but still curious frown.

"Hmm..." The Satan slowly turned the king in his grasp before answering his friend. "I was wondering if in the event someone ever managed to replicate the Evil Piece system if they could utilize a King piece with a human."

Sirzechs blinked at that statement, perplexed. "I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you meant by that." A wry smirk preceded Ajuka's response.

"Aside from bloodlines and loyalties, have you ever considered why we never give anyone from human descent the power of a king piece right away once they reincarnated as a devil?"

At this the crimson haired satan's frown deepened as it lost all sense of good humor to it. "Am I to assume it is to prevent irrevocable harm to either the recipient or their surroundings upon the sudden increase of their power should they be unprepared for it?"

"You are correct," Ajuka stated simply as he set the piece down into a custom velvet receptacle before him. One of a series belonging to an open but otherwise small box which bore a the rest of this particular chess set.

"So in essence you made a specialized evil piece meant for a human for all that it would entail?"

"Indeed," Ajuka confirmed as he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders before gettign up and stretching some more to work out the kinks.

"Granted the premise as you said is "in the event the Evil Pieces were replicated," and following that notion it would only be logical to assume that whomever has successfully do so would also have both the capital and means to produce more at their own pace, but have you considered how risky it is by proving this notion of empowering humans without the gradual tolerance built up after reincarnation is feasible as a potential option? Skilled or not, even the most deluded of these theoretical enemies who happen to reproduce your process could make use of a sudden army of..." Sirzechs paused and hummed just long enough to consider an appropriate term for such humans. "Newly minted devils as a smokescreen or a buffer for their more skilled minions."

Ajuka sighed as he reached over and gently closed the oaken case shut with a soft clack. "I have actually. I was hoping however that in doing so I might have something of a clue as to how they would do it if such an event became possible. Ideally it would give me some insight as to the resources it would require which we could track. Likewise we would have some idea as to what was happening if we monitored what few individuals that could remotely operate with the skills needed to create such pieces should they suddenly go missing or start acting... suspicious; if worse came to worst we would rest a little easier at night if we ended up assassinated these artisans should it come to that."

"Provided of course we know of them in the first place," Sirzechs interjected. Ajuka hummed in agreement. "It's still risky either way. While I can agree with wanting to monitor any potential signs for an otherwise... hypothetical scenario," Sirzechs drawled as he crossed his arms, "if you actually go through with implementing your experiment you would effectively be revealing it's possible to at least empower a human being without the need to reincarnate them. Even if no one is able to reproduce the Evil Piece system, it _would_ create help intrigue nevertheless amongst the less savory members 72 Pillars and their veritable allies should the secrecy of this little experiment of yours fails to be maintained."

Ajuka hummed once more in agreement before allotting himself a wistful smile. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm as bad as Azazel during is more whimsical moods," he sighed. Sirzechs softly chuckled as he clapped him on the shoulder before turning away and heading to a nearby staircase leading out of the basement.

"If you would humor my piece of mind would you lock that into a vault somewhere?" he called out as he looked over his shoulder with a jester's smirk. "Preferably _before_ your wife decides to take off the gloves and comes down here herself because I'm 'taking too long' as it were?"

"You would have only yourself to blame for that, Sirzechs," Ajuka countered with a grin of his own as he got up from his stool and followed after the other satan. "You were the one who forced her upon me after all."

Sirzech's barked out a laugh. "Yes I suppose it is my fault. You still married her after all."

"You're still at fault for that."

Once more Sirzechs chuckled aloud as he neared the door atop of the stairs. "Let's agree to disagree, shall we?"

"Hmf..."

Both devils soon left the confines of Ajuka's basement where his less ambitious developments took place. Both nodded to a maid who bowed in their presence as they passed her, not paying any mind to her particularly proximity to the closed and locked door. Once they turned around a corner within Ajuka's home the maid carefully lifted her eyes up to see if either of the satans or for that matter any of the other servants were around before turning to the door and silently producing a key. After another quick check of her surroundings to ensure she was absolutely alone she unlocked the basement's door and stepped out onto the small landing on the other side as she swiftly but silently shut the door behind her. From there she turned to a small nook within the wall, a crack that the satan hadn't bothered with having repaired for reasons unknown. Still it was to her benefit as she reached in and retrieved a human recorder still attached to a microphone.

As soon as she disconnected it she took out a pair of earplugs and attached them to the recording device, a necessity given else Ajuka Beelzebub pick up a magical signature not his own within one of his more particular sanctuaries; she was already risking so much with a mere key as it is. Still, once the conversation between the two satans struck her ears she looked down at the workshop below in hopes of this particular prize. Once her eyes landed on that particular box a plan began to form within her mind whilst her hands automatically disengaged her recorder on their own accord.

**A/N: As is the trend as of late it had popped into my head and wouldn't leave... As such I wrote this down as both a means to give myself a reprieve and to act as something of a note to myself to work on later least I forget it. As such it's not going to be updated for a time... sorry.**

**On a more semi-related note: this story in particular was not only the product of a random idea floating within my head but also inspired by the Akame ga Kill/High School DxD story **_**The Battle Never Ends**_** by **_**Arthain**_** (which admittedly I have yet to finish reading after being distracted by another story . (I blame TV Tropes for this). Admittedly I was tempted to do a whole chapter of him going through the years much like Tatsumi but considering my current (as of 5/11/19) plans I thought it would be best to leave it a little shorter. A taste as it were to what is to come. I was also a bit worried that I would make the mistake over all but plagiarizing **_**Arthain's**_** work as I have done with other stories, thus stifling any true creativity and originality that would otherwise be had from working it out myself.**

**In other news... To head off any questions, yes he is once more and officially a Lamperouge. That is all! :P**

**For what it's worth I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.**


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